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Nonprofits Receive $107,700 in Spring Grants

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

TORRINGTON, CT -- The Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation has awarded grants to 23 area nonprofit organizations, totaling $107,700 during its first grant cycle of 2019. The Community Foundation awards discretionary grants to Northwest Connecticut charities three times a year: early spring, late June and late fall.

Noteworthy among the recent awards include:

to Lake Waramaug Task Force to support the purchase of lake and watershed monitoring equipment

“This equipment will allow the LWTF to better monitor and make lake and watershed management decisions and, better educate the public about their impacts on the lake,” said Sean Hayden of Lake Waramaug Task Force. “…this equipment is essential to improving our ability to serve our constituents by protecting the lake as an important regional natural resource.”

to Music Mountain to support program expenses for Painting Music, an innovative, collaborative educational program for children and adults

“This project for, and FREE to, CT’s NW Corner residents, brings the Argus String Quartet, the well-known Falls Village professional artist Vincent Inconiglios, and adults and children aged 6 to 100 together to explore in a completely new way the relationship between art and music,” said Ann M. McKinney of Music Mountain. “Each ‘painter’ will create on canvas his/her translation of the Quartet's music. S/he will learn about each medium, and discover a new dimension of listening to music, and of looking at works of art.”

to Torrington Police Department to support the cost of a common inventory of Narcan to be shared by the Torrington Police Department and the Torrington Fire Department

“The Torrington Fire and Police Departments work together as first responders to handle medical calls providing the best possible care to the citizens of Torrington.” said Lt. Thomas Rouleau of the Torrington Police Department. “…having the lifesaving opioid reversal drug Narcan can be a matter of life and death for someone suffering from the negative effects of opioid addiction and overdoses.”

The following is a comprehensive list of 2019 First Cycle Grants:

After School Arts Program - $3,600 to support the cost of transportation for summer arts camp to include 45 low-income Torrington students (from the Carlton D. Fyler and Jenny R. Fyler Fund)

Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness - $10,000 to support flexible emergency funding that will divert families in the Community Foundation's service area from a homeless shelter (from the Carlton D. Fyler and Jenny R. Fyler Fund)

CT Credit Union Charitable Foundation - $4,500 to support the cost of a financial reality fair to improve financial literacy skills in high school students (from the Keroden Endowed Fund)

Easterseals of Greater Waterbury - $5,000 to support the Center for Better Hearing, a nonprofit audiology clinic, specifically restricted to support the expenses of clients from the Foundation’s 20-town service area (from the Eva M. Coty Fund)

FISH of Northwestern Connecticut - $1,500 to support the purchase of replacement bedding for the shelter (from the Miriam Mason Cable Trust Fund)

Food Rescue US - $7,000 to support Food Rescue US in Northwest CT, an innovative platform for food rescue and delivery to organizations serving the food-insecure population (from the Ruth and Robert Cron Endowment Fund)

Litchfield Performing Arts - $7,000 to support the cost of sole sponsorship of Jazz After Work, a nightly free concert series, at the 2019 Litchfield Jazz Festival (from the Robert V. Carr Fund)

McCall Center for Behavioral Health - $1,500 to support a youth support group in collaboration with the Winchester Youth Service Bureau (from the Carlton D. Fyler and Jenny R. Fyler Fund)

Music Mountain - $6,000 to support program expenses for Painting Music, an innovative, collaborative educational program for children and adults (from the Lucia Tuttle Fritz Fund)

Northwestern Connecticut Community College - $6,400 to support out-of-pocket educational costs for SNAP-eligible college students (from the Keroden Endowed Fund)

Pilobolus - $5,000 to support program expenses for the 2019 Pilobolus Five Senses Festival (from the Lucia Tuttle Fritz Fund)

Prime Time House - $1,250 to support the cost of upgraded cellphones to communicate with members who are not actively engaged with the Clubhouse program (from the Miriam Mason Cable Trust Fund)

Sharon Fire Department - $7,500 to support the cost of a Lucas Chest Compression System for the Sharon Ambulance (from the Khurshed Bhumgara Fund)

Torrington Police Department - $6,000 to support the cost of a common inventory of Narcan to be shared by the Torrington Police Department and the Torrington Fire Department (from the Marion Wm. & Alice Edwards Fund)

Torrington Public Schools - $1,500 to support the cost of digital signage to improve communication with the community (from the Carlton D. Fyler and Jenny R. Fyler Fund)

United Way of Northwest Connecticut - $1,500 to support the cost of a new phone system (from the Northwest Connecticut Philanthropy Fund)

Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires - $5,000 to support dental expenses incurred by low-income patients who live within the Community Foundation's service area. (from the Keroden Endowed Fund)

Warner Theatre - $3,250 to support the cost of hand held microphones, transmitters, and a wireless adapter that conform to new FCC regulations (from the Miriam Mason Cable Trust Fund)

Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust - $2,550 to support the cost of essential computer hardware upgrades (from the Khurshed Bhumgara Fund)

Winchester Youth Service Bureau - $10,150 to support the cost of additional case management hours for the Juvenile Review Board, a confidential diversionary prevention program for first time, non-violent offenders (from the Carlton D. Fyler and Jenny R. Fyler Fund)

Established in 1969, the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation serves 20 towns in Northwest Connecticut. Its total endowment, comprised of more than 280 funds, has grown from initial assets of $15,000 to more than $110 million. Last year, combined grants and scholarships totaled more than $4 million.